Introduction to a Chemical Engineer
My previous blog about my favorite place is pretty close to where I was born. I was born Gelnhausen, Germany on December 14th. Gelnhausen is a really small town founded in the Middle Ages, about 40 minutes east of Frankfurt. My mother's side of the family had lived in the northern part of Germany in Schleswig-Holstein until my mother left home to work in Frankfurt for a number of years. She met my dad while he was stationed in Germany on active duty. Shortly after I was born we moved around the States from Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, then finally Oklahoma where my dad decided to retire. Lawton, Oklahoma has been my home for roughly 10 years, making it the longest place I've stayed thus far.
Whenever people ask me where I'm from, I have to make a split decision if I should just say I'm from Lawton or give them the whole spiel of where I was born versus where I grew up. If I'm in the situation where it's a more in-depth "getting-to-know-you" conversation, there's definitely a backtrack to explain I'm half-German but only lived in Germany for less than a year. Although my stay was short-lived, I still cherish my roots having dual citizenship, close family ties, and being bilingual.
I definitely had a stronger hobbies list pre-college, constantly wishing I had the time to pursue them still. If I had a few extra days to spend how I'd like I would play a game of tennis, take a couple dancing classes, learn a new song on the piano, go for a hike somewhere new, find a new book I can't put down, and finish my series of paintings I started a couple years ago.
All my life I've wanted to be a doctor. My mother had breast cancer really young when I was two years old and was hit by it again when I was 5. I spent a lot of time making friends with her nurses and doctors during appointments and chemotherapy. I was too young to really understand what was going on, but it lasted me with lifelong appreciation of the care that was given to my mother that allows me to still have her around.
I was admitted to OU Fall 2017 and came in as a Chemical Engineer/Pre-Med. I sought out an undergrad that would help me stand out as a Pre-Med. I figured out really quickly how difficult engineering was and panicked at the thought of making it through medical school. Eventually I was torn parting with engineering because I've actually enjoyed the challenge and how much I've learned thus far. After meeting some of the incredible professors in the chemical engineering department, I was convinced that there other options for me to contribute to the medical world as an engineer. I just recently started research with a professor for transport phenomena in relationship to artificial hearts. I also plan to apply to the accelerated master's program next month, which I'm super excited for. I don't have a clear plan on what exactly I want to make of it all when I graduate. For now I'll plan as it goes!
The Church of St. Mary
I definitely had a stronger hobbies list pre-college, constantly wishing I had the time to pursue them still. If I had a few extra days to spend how I'd like I would play a game of tennis, take a couple dancing classes, learn a new song on the piano, go for a hike somewhere new, find a new book I can't put down, and finish my series of paintings I started a couple years ago.
All my life I've wanted to be a doctor. My mother had breast cancer really young when I was two years old and was hit by it again when I was 5. I spent a lot of time making friends with her nurses and doctors during appointments and chemotherapy. I was too young to really understand what was going on, but it lasted me with lifelong appreciation of the care that was given to my mother that allows me to still have her around.
I was admitted to OU Fall 2017 and came in as a Chemical Engineer/Pre-Med. I sought out an undergrad that would help me stand out as a Pre-Med. I figured out really quickly how difficult engineering was and panicked at the thought of making it through medical school. Eventually I was torn parting with engineering because I've actually enjoyed the challenge and how much I've learned thus far. After meeting some of the incredible professors in the chemical engineering department, I was convinced that there other options for me to contribute to the medical world as an engineer. I just recently started research with a professor for transport phenomena in relationship to artificial hearts. I also plan to apply to the accelerated master's program next month, which I'm super excited for. I don't have a clear plan on what exactly I want to make of it all when I graduate. For now I'll plan as it goes!
How exciting that you were born in Germany, Hannah, and that you are connected to Germany through your mother's side of the family... and bilingual. Wonderful! I wish that, as a culture, we had more respect for people who are bilingual. That's exactly the kind of deep knowledge we need people to have in the global world today! And how great that you are working on the side of medicine that is about the incredible power of machines (artificial hearts! wow!) to help our bodies do the work they do. Do you think you will want to work on a German folklore or mythology project for this class? If you do, there are so many great resources online in English... and of course in German too! Here are some Freebookapalooza items: German story collections ... maybe you could even ask your mother about stories she remembers from when she was little. There are so many folklore and folktale traditions in Germany and, thanks to the Brother Grimm, they are very well documented too. So many stories to enjoy! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! Wow that's so exciting that you were born in Germany! I love that fact that you enjoy dual citizenship and also are bilingual. Knowing different languages definitely has advantages. Our situations in deciding how to contribute seem very similar to me. My whole life I grown up knowing that I wanted to be able to contribute to society and its people in a meaningful way. I am so glad that you found your way to contribute! It truly is very fulfilling when we are doing something we love, rather than working endlessly and being miserable. Sometimes the paths get hard and we give up, but you were creative and found other means. Can't wait to read through your stories!
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI love the fact you were born in Germany, I haven't ever been out of the country but I would love to one day. I am glad you still have your mom, I find my mom has grown to be my best friend in this world and she has fallen ill in the past few years. Your career path intimidates me for sure, but who knows you can find a cure to something incredible and save so many lives!
Aspen Endriss
Hi Hannah! I think that it is super neat that you were born in Germany and have a dual citizenship. I also really appreciate that you are so connected to your roots even though you did not get to spend much time there. Much like you, I have always known that I wanted to be in a helping profession. I tried out psychology for awhile and then changed my major to social work after discovering I could still be a counselor but with a more diverse degree. Chemical engineering sounds super difficult so props to you! Good luck with the accelerated masters program!
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! Funny story, my parents actually spent their honeymoon in Frankfurt and did a lot of traveling in the surrounding area! I wonder if they happened to stop by Gelnhausen! You seem to have had a lot of travels in your life, and I envy you that; I was born in Kansas City and lived there until I went to college. Chemical Engineering sounds insanely difficult (but take it from me, a social sciences major), and I am so impressed that you're pursuing this line of study. Also, your mom sounds like a seriously tough lady, and I'm really happy that you have her around. I'm sure she's proud of you, too.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I hope you have a great semester, and good luck with the accelerated masters' program! I'm in the last semester of that myself at CIS, and it is a lot of work, but totally worth it!
Best,
Cece
Hi Hannah! As I was sifting through different introductions, yours’ caught my eye. I’m a chemistry major and I love architecture, so the picture you shared of the Church of St. Mary immediately caught my eye! I admit I don’t know much about Germany, but I think its crazy to think that some of the places have been around for centuries. As someone who’s thinking of options in the medical field, thank you for going into some detail about some of the options you’re considering! I think it’s hard to learn about and understand the various different things you can do in the medical industry without having some direct contacts. Best of luck going forward!
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah!
ReplyDeleteYour introduction is absolutely awesome, and I think it's cool that your bilingual! I've always wanted to be able to speak fluently in two languages, but learning a new one at my age is so difficult I feel like it's impossible. (Maybe I shouldn't have picked a language like Japanese to learn as my foreign language.)
I've always wanted to travel to Germany, so I'll definitely have to take a look at your favorite place. I'm a history major with a specific emphasis on Germany, so I bet the place you wrote about will be right up my alley!
Hey Hannah! Its really cool that you can say that you've been to that part of the world and Im sure its really different! Your career path is really cool and I hope you do make a breakthrough with the artificial hearts! That would really help a lot of people in the world! Good luck with this class and I hope I get to read more of your post!
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! It’s so cool that you were born in Germany! I’ve always wanted to visit. The link you included made it sound absolutely magical. I was born in India but raised in Oklahoma. I can definitely relate to just giving a standard answer about where I was born vs where I was raised as opposed to a more in depth one on the spot. Best of luck to you this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! I completely understand the moving around, I have lived in a bunch of different places for the past five years, since I left my home country, Venezuela. I am glad that you and your family eventually found a place to call home in Oklahoma, for me it will still be a while until I get to settle down, and actually Germany is one of the countries that I'm considering for that! I think it's great that you found a challenge in chemical engineering whilst being able to pursue your passion for medicine. My mom has always told me that your undergrad is simply a base of tools to help you get started in your career, but anything can happen after it, so I completely agree that there are many ways for you to contribute to the medical field. It was great getting to know, and hope you have a great rest of the semester!
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